Corn-holder.



No. 814,688. PATEN'IED MAR. 13, 1906.- A. N. GITTERMAN.-

CORN HOLDER.

nruonron run we. 21. 1905.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY UNITED sTATEs PATENT orFIoE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Eatented March 13, 1906.

Application filed August 21,1905. Serial No. 275,144.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED N. GITTER- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorn-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in corn-holders; and it consistsin the novel features hereinafter described, and particularly pointedout in the claims.

The object of the invention is, to produce simple, inexpensive, andeflicient means by which a person may hold an ear of hot corn whileeating the same.

In accordance with my invention the ear of corn will be held at each endby independ- -ent holders, one being a duplicate of the other, and eachof which is formed from a rod of wire bent to form a spring-handle and apair of claws adapted to engage the ear of corn.

The invention will be understood from the detailed descriptionhereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a corn-holder constructed inaccordance with and embodying the invention, the dotted lines indicatinthe position of the members of the holder when the latter has theopposite sides of its handle portion pressed toward each other to spreadthe claws for transversely engaging the end of an ear of corn. Fig. 2 isan edge view of same, and Fig. 3 is a top view of same.

The holders will be used in pairs, an inde pendent holder being providedfor each end of the ear of corn, and said holders will engage the endsof the ear of corn transversely so that the handle portions of theholders may project in line with the length of the ear of corn. In thedrawings I illustrate only one of the holders, since the holders areduplicates of each other.

The holder shown is formed from a rod of spring-wire coiled at itsmiddle portion to form a spring 5, whence the handle members 6 extendoutwardly on slightly diverging lines to about the points 7 and thenconverge inwardly and cross each other at the point 8, whence the endportions of the rod of wire extend in opposite directions to formmembers 9, and thence at right angles to said members 9 and parallelwith each other to form members 10, from the outer ends of which theends of the rod of wire extend inwardly toward each other and parallelwith the members 9 and are sharpened to form claws or prongs 11, adaptedto firmly engage the ear of corn under the tension of the spring 5. Themembers 9 10 11 form a boxlike section adapted to pass transversely uponthe end of an ear of corn, and said members 9, 10, and 11 at oppositesides of the holder are normally pressed toward each other by means ofthe spring 5, but are restrained from passing unduly toward each otherby a ring 12, which is circular in outline and encompasses the outerends of the handle members 6 where they cross each other and is normallyin contact with the outer sides of the inner ends of the members 9. Theaction of the spring 5 normally binds the ring 12 in the position inwhich it is shown by full lines in Fig. 1, and said ring by engaging theouter sides of both handle members 6 prevents the spring from pressingthe prongs 11 unduly toward each other and in addition ties the saidhandle members in due relation to each other.

The normal condition of the holder is that illustrated by full lines inFig. 1. When it is desired to apply the holder to an ear of corn, thehandle portion of the instrument will be taken hold of and the sidemembers 6 pressed toward each other sufficiently to spread the prongs 1111 far enough apart to enable them to be passed upon and engage the endof the ear of corn, after which the pressure will be released from saidmembers 6 and the spring will maintain said prongs in their engagementwith the ear of corn. When a holder is applied to each end of an ear ofcorn, the latter may be held by the handle portions of the holders withentire convenience while the corn is being eaten. The movement of thehandle members 6 toward each other causes the crossing-point of saidmembers to recede toward the spring 5, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 1, and the ring 12 to ride in the same direction upon theconverging portions of said members. The ring 12 does not require anymanual attention, since when the handle members 6 are pressed towardeach other the converging portions of said members will cause the ringto ride upon them and follow the crossing-point of said members withoutregard to what position the holder may be in at such time, and when thepressure on the members 6 is released the spring 5 will restore theprongs 11 to their initial position and the converging portions of themembers 6 will compel the ring 12 to ride outwardly upon them to itsinitial posi tion and find a stop against the transverse members 9. Theholder is thus applied to an ear of corn by first pressing the handlemembers 6 toward each other and then passing the prongs 11 transverselyupon the end of the ear of corn, whereupon the pressure on the members 6is released and the spring 5 causes said prongs to firmly engage the earof corn. When it is desired to release the holder, the side members 6will be pressed toward each other, so as to again spread the prongs 11in a direction from each other, and thereupon the holder may bewithdrawn from the corncob.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A corn-holder comprising the opposite side portions which first formthe handle and then cross each other and thence extend laterally inopposite directions and thence forwardly and thence inwardly toward eachmess other to form the engaging prongs, a spring for normally pressingthe said prongs toward each other, and a ring whose opening is in linewith the length of the instrument and which encompasses said sideportions at their crossing-point at the outer end of the handle;

substantially as set forth.

2. A corn-holder comprising a piece of wire coiled at its middle portionto form the spring 5 and thence bent to form the handle members 6 havingthe converging sections at their outer ends which cross each other, thelaterally-extending members 9, forwardlyextending members 10, andinwardly-extending prong members 11, and the ring 12 which encompassesthe handle members at their crossing-p oint substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 18th day of August, A. D. 1905.

ALFRED N. GITTERMAN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. O. GILL, ARTHUR MARION.

